BURNABY
– Local crime prevention leaders from around the province are being honoured
today at the annual Solicitor General Community Safety and Crime Prevention
Awards.

The
highest honour of the day, the Anthony J. Hulme Award, went to Balwant Sanghera
for his long-time commitment to making his community of Richmond a diverse,
supportive and safer place to live.

Sanghera
is a recognized force in Richmond community-building and a tireless activist
for multiculturalism. He is past president and director of the Richmond
Multicultural Concerns Society that provides language, settlement and advocacy
supports to new immigrants. He is a founding member and chairperson of the South
Asian Community Coalition Against Youth Violence, an organization that strives
to raise awareness about the devastation of crime, violence and gangs. He is
also active in the East Richmond Community Association and president of the
Punjabi Language Education Association (PLEA).

Other
recipients this year include:

·A
family from Vancouver that runs speed watch set-ups nearly every weekend.

·Two
Kelowna high school students who created eye-catching awareness videos on key
public safety issues for Crimestoppers and the RCMP.

·Organizations
and individuals from around the province who work to prevent youth violence and
exploitation and provide support to vulnerable communities.

Quotes:

Minister
of Public Safety and Solicitor General Shirley Bond –

“Preventing
crime in our communities is something that starts with all of us. The
dedication of the men, women and young people we’re honouring today is all the
proof we need of that. I can only hope that during BC Crime Prevention Week,
they inspire more British Columbians to consider how they can participate and
do their part to make our communities safer.”

Linda
Reid, MLA for Richmond East –

“The
Anthony J. Hulme Award recognizes crime prevention pioneers — those who have
made an extraordinary contribution to their community’s vibrancy and
connectivity. With his boundless commitment and sense of leadership, Mr.
Sanghera is an exemplary British Columbian and a role model to all of us.”

Quick
Facts:

·The
Solicitor General’s awards recognize excellence and leadership in crime
prevention and community safety among children or youth, service clubs, media,
businesses, local governments, community policing and individual, dedicated
volunteers.

·Award
recipients are selected by the Provincial Safe Communities Working Group, which
is comprised of representatives from government, police and community
organizations.

Kenneth
M. Lemckert Community Policing Award– recognizes an individual or
community group that has provided exemplary leadership in the area of community
policing.

Auxiliary
Constable Cindy von Kampen – Comox Valley RCMP – Courtenay

Aux.
Const. Cindy von Kampen spearheaded many strategic crime prevention
partnerships in the community of Courtenay and has been the president of the
Comox Valley Citizens on Patrol (COPS) program since 2007. She manages a group
of 58 volunteers who average more than 15,000 hours each year and she is
responsible for overseeing the Speedwatch and Stolen Auto Recovery System
program. Since graduating from the RCMP Auxiliary Constable program in 2008,
von Kampen consistently exceeds her 160 mandatory volunteer hours through
events like Project Pride, which is aimed at educating elementary school
students on the history of Canada, and Dock Watch, which provides boating
safety education. She also makes herself available to speak on topics such as
bullying and staying safe, issues that directly involve seniors, fraud,
counterfeit currency and shoplifting.

Sgt.
Mike Novakowski – Abbotsford Police, Youth Squad – Abbotsford

After
a series of gang-related homicides in 2008 and 2009, Sgt. Mike Novakowksi
developed and implemented several programs to promote positive life choices to
youth, their parents and the community. These campaigns included a series of
posters, videos, radio commercials and school presentations to thousands of
Abbotsford students from elementary school right through to secondary school.
Novakowski also generated provincial anti-gang awareness through campaigns that
involved speaking to more than 3,000 parents and using a seized Hummer as a
rolling crime-prevention billboard.

Wael
T. Audi Youth Policing Award–honours police officers who have
demonstrated outstanding commitment to working with youth in their communities.

Through
their work with the Abbotsford Police Department’s Youth Squad, Const. Davin
Turner and Const. Mark Zawadsky have been instrumental in uniting their
community and eliminating a serious youth rivalry that threatened the safety of
Abbotsford School District. They implemented a conflict intervention strategy
in 2009 involving youth, family, friends, police, the Abbotsford Restorative
Justice Action Association, the Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Crown
counsel and Abbotsford Community Services to address the conflict. Over a
period of many months, the intervention was successful in engaging the youth to
focus on their educational goals and put the conflict behind them. Turner and
Zawadsky’s proactive approach represents the highest form of service to youth
in the community of Abbotsford.

Const.
Richard Lavallee – Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver

In
his position as Aboriginal liaison for the Vancouver Police Department, Const.
Richard Lavallee has been a police liaison for the urban Aboriginal population
since 2005. He serves as the primary contact for multiple Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal agencies in Vancouver and works closely with community partners
to provide healthy activities for at-risk Aboriginal youth. Const. Lavallee
has developed trusting relationships with youth in the Broadway Youth Resource
Centre Breakfast Club, the Urban Native Youth Association, Aboriginal Youth
First and the Eastside Aboriginal Space for Youth and has become a positive
role model in many of their lives, among them former gang members.

The
WISH Drop-in Centre Society’s Peer Safety Patrol Program (PSP) is aimed at
reducing violence against women involved in street-based sex work by training
and hiring them to join the safety patrol team and provide support services to
their peers. The women are trained in life skills, self-care, anti-violence,
self defence, situational de-escalation, communications, report-taking and safe
needle collection. This innovative program not only provides skills to women;
it provides support to sex workers and has a positive impact on neighbouring
residents and businesses.

Since
September 1994, the Ridge Meadows Youth and Justice Advocacy Association has
been assisting 12- to 17-year-old youth in conflict with the law. The
association works with the community, RCMP and Crown counsel to help youth
recognize the harm of their actions, accept responsibility and be accountable
for their offences. Through its restorative resolution program, the association
promotes responsibility, reliability, and resiliency through creative
education, intervention, and prevention. In the Association’s 17 years of
service, it has received more than 1,900 referrals and was the first
association of its kind to receive direct referral from Crown counsel.

Vancouver
School Board – Youth Empowered and Safe (YES), Vancouver

Starting
in 2007, the Youth Empowered and Safe (YES) project has brought together
community and school resources to address key risk factors for youth, identify
gaps in youth services and develop strategies in response. The YES project
helped to establish a Community Assessment and Action Network with police, the
City of Vancouver, community agencies and the school district. YES also
collaborated with Vancouver School Board Multicultural Liaison Workers and
Settlement Workers in developing and translating parent presentations and the
booklet, Steering Kids Away From Gangs: What Parents Need to Know, in six
languages.

As
well, YES increased access for grades five to seven students to the Respect,
Safety and Violence Prevention Program and developed successful student
mentorship programs and groups for vulnerable youth transitioning from
elementary school to high school.

Crime
Prevention & Community Safety Award – Individual– honours exemplary
leadership in the area of crime prevention and community safety and
contributions to the development of innovative projects, key activities or
initiatives to promote safe communities.

Pat
Kelln – New Westminster

Pat
Kelln has worked tirelessly since 1999 to aid women who have experienced
domestic violence. In 2003, Pat started the Shoe Memorial on Dec. 6 to
commemorate the Montréal Massacre and female victims of violence. The annual
event leaves a lasting impression, spreading awareness through the display of
hundreds of pairs of women’s shoes at the Vancouver Art Gallery steps. For each
pair of shoes, there is a name and a date of a woman who lost her life due to
violence.

Kelln
has also participated in a safety audit of the New Westminster Police
communications centre, authored a legal resource manual for advocates working
on violence against women issues and presented at several workshops on domestic
violence. She is a past director of the BC Crime Prevention Association and the
BC Coalition for the Elimination of the Abuse of Seniors as well as a
co-ordinator and facilitator of Disability 101.

Debby
Hamilton and Sgt. Robb Daly – Vernon

Since
2009, Sgt. Robb Daly of the Vernon RCMP and Debby Hamilton, executive director
of Vernon Women’s Transition House Society, have been instrumental in the
development of the North Okanagan Integrated Case Assessment Team (ICAT). ICAT
is a wrap-around process that increases safety to victims and holds offenders
accountable for their actions. It also encourages information sharing between
local justice, health and community service agencies to pinpoint risk factors
that can lead to serious harm for victims of domestic violence. They promote
this model through workshops to regional and provincial audiences and have each
contributed countless volunteer hours collaborating with communities and
sharing their expertise.

Carolyn
Sinclair – Surrey

Carolyn
Sinclair is a passionate advocate for those impacted by disaster, crime or
trauma. She has been the executive director of Police Victim Services of
British Columbia since 2000 and executive director of the BC Crime Prevention
Association since 2009. She is also the managing director of the Justice Access
Society for Maintaining Independence and Empowerment, deputy director of New
Westminster Emergency Social Services, instructor of Forensic Anthropology at
the University of the Fraser Valley, instructor of Emergency Management at the
Justice Institute of British Columbia and a member of the Provincial Disaster
Psychosocial Services Initiative.

Children
or Youth Leadership Award–honours
positive role models for children or youth in their community and encourages
their active participation in crime prevention and community safety projects.

Jordan
Choo and Jaci Benson – Rutland Senior Secondary, Kelowna

As
graduating students in 2010 from Rutland Senior Secondary, Jordan Choo and Jaci
Benson produced three public service announcements for Crimestoppers and the
Kelowna RCMP on cyber-bullying, graffiti and drug prevention awareness. Jaci
and Jordan displayed professional organizational skills and commitment to the
project and brought together 10 other students to assist in acting and
production. Both Jordan and Jaci are now enrolled in Capilano University's
Motion Picture Arts Degree program.

Local Government Award–recognizes
outstanding leadership in the area of promoting and implementing crime
prevention and community safety strategies within their community.

City
of Surrey

The
City of Surrey has made community safety an essential priority to building
health and prosperity among its citizens. In 2007, Surrey implemented a Crime
Reduction Strategy that was developed in collaboration with the RCMP, over 50
community groups, members of the public and all levels of government. The
comprehensive plan is designed to create innovative, community-based solutions
to crime reduction and safety. The work of the last four years has resulted in
many new partnerships, holistic problem-solving approaches, and progress in
addressing the root causes of crime in Surrey. A comprehensive three year
Progress Report (2006 – 2010 achievements) has been completed and is available
online at http://www.surrey.ca/files/CRS_Progress_Report_2007-2010_FINAL.pdf.

Media
Award– honours an individual’s
commitment for actively promoting crime prevention and community safety
programs either by audio, visual, and/or written methods.

British
Columbia Association of Broadcasters

The British Columbia Association of
Broadcasters (BCAB) represents private television and radio broadcasters of the
province and its members are proud to promote and contribute to
community-building programs. Through their annual Humanitarian Award, the BCAB
provides one charitable organization a year with a full 52-week advertising
schedule, with significant television and radio airtime free of charge,
exposing millions of people to the organization’s cause. In 2010, the BCAB’s
Humanitarian Award winner was the Children of the Street Society for their
Predator Watch campaign to combat online sexual exploitation of children and
youth.

Since
1991, ADT has been offering help to victims of domestic violence across Canada.
ADT has taken the initiative to fight domestic violence through its business by
creating the Domestic Violence Emergency Response System (DVERS). Operating in
38 communities across Canada, DVERS provides families at high risk of domestic
violence with monitored security at no charge. DVERS is co-ordinated at the
local level by social service agencies, local law enforcement and ADT
representatives.

Volunteer
Award–honours an individual’s
commitment to their community through outstanding contribution towards crime
prevention and community safety.

Ken Ryan – Burnaby

Ken
Ryan began volunteering in 1995 with the Burnaby police and currently sits on
the Community Policing Advisory Committee. In 1996, he became a Block Watch
co-ordinator and helped to double the active blocks in that community over the
last 15 years. He sits on Burnaby’s Anti Graffiti Committee and works with
youth from eight different elementary schools as director of the Lochdale
Community School Association. He also works on youth programs within Burnaby as
a member of Optimist International.

Gordon and Kathleen Jones –
Vancouver

Gordon
and Kathleen Jones have volunteered with the Vancouver Speed Voluntary Watch
program since 1996 and 1997 respectively. Since then, they have contributed
more than 4,500 volunteer hours each, conducting speed watch setups with the
program almost every weekend. They have organized and conducted special
training sessions for the Vancouver Police Speed Watch members and given
community police office Speed Watch workshops sponsored by ICBC for more than
six years. Gordon and Kathleen developed the Site Record – Traffic Analysis
Report form for the Vancouver Police Department Speed Watch team.

They
also helped revise the Speed Watch Operational Guide and produced the quarterly
newsletter for the program. They inspire cooperation and encouragement among
the members of the Vancouver Police Traffic Division and are committed to
making a difference in their community.

Bill McElroy – Sooke

Bill
McElroy has been a dedicated community volunteer for over 41 years and assisted
with over 20 non-profit groups, most of which focus on children and families.
Since 1998, McElroy has been focused on the issue of youth sexual exploitation
through Save the Children Canada, the Out from the Shadows program and the
International Centre to Combat Exploitation of Children. He is a past chair of
the Capital Region Action Team for Sexually Exploited Youth and the treasurer
of the Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee where he works to
promote crime prevention and raise awareness about youth and justice.

Lynn Krag – New Westminster

Since
2001, Lynn Krag has volunteered hundreds of hours in the Victim Services
program at the New Westminster Police Service. She also volunteers with
Citizens’ Crime Watch Patrol and at community events. Krag is trained in the
areas of Crime-Free Multi-housing, Block Watch, Emergency Social Services,
Speed Watch, home security and stolen auto recovery, among others.